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William Shatner's Chaos on the Bridge Premiers on Vimeo

Gene Roddenberry, the creator of a futuristic utopia and what would become one of the worlds largest and most enduring fandoms, is the center of William Shatner's latest documentary, which tells the story of how Roddenberry almost killed The Next Generation.

By KraziyK Sat 01 Aug, 2015 8:00 PM - Last Updated: Sun 03 Apr, 2016 10:47 PM
Gene Roddenberry, the creator of a futuristic utopia and what would become one of the worlds largest and most enduring fandoms, is the center of William Shatner's latest documentary, which tells the story of how Roddenberry almost killed The Next Generation.
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Chaos on the Bridge, a Star Trek documentary from Vision Films, isn’t the futuristic utopia one might think. In reality this documentary appears to paint a darker side of the Star Trek universe on the set and behind the scenes that puts even Gene Roddenberry in a bad light. The documentary follows the path of Gene Roddenberry’s involvement in The Next
attachment.php?attachmentid=4748&stc=1"My agent was the first person to tell me there wasn't a hope in hell that this show will even make it through the first season. Generation. He’s is described as “A great man, with great flaws.” among other choice words.

The documentary is narrated by William Shatner as he interviews a wide panel of “players”, as the film so colorfully states, which include Patrick Stewart, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and John Pike who was the Paramount Network Television president at the time, Jonathan Frakes, and Gates McFadden to name just a few.

In recent years Shatner has taken part several Star Trek and Sci-Fi related documentaries, including The Captain, and How William Shatner Changed the World. Already people have spoken out about the film, stating their hesitance to watch it, either due to it’s western/country feel or because it’s price. While others like Matthew Brant, a Vimeo Viewer, said “Brilliant. This film fills in the gaps left out by the TNG DVD special features.”


The documentary can be rented for $7.99 or bought for $12.99 on Vimeo. Vision Films has stated that a DVD version will be available in September.
5 Comments
Sun 02 Aug, 2015 11:54 AM
Hmmm... Interesting. I'll probably wait until it's more widely available to watch it but the trailer has me intrigued. Thank for bringing this to our attention KraziyK!
Sun 02 Aug, 2015 1:15 PM
I'm in agreement with Mazoue. It certainly looks interesting, and I'm more than happy to learn more about the series that is so close to my heart. As always, thanks for bringing this to us. Smile
Mon 03 Aug, 2015 1:42 AM
This sounds like a good watch. I'm always a sucker for behind the scenes stuff. I just hope it doesn't vilify Rodenberry, more then he may deserve.
Sat 08 Aug, 2015 3:28 AM
I watched it. It was fun.
Tue 01 Sep, 2015 6:34 PM
Recently I was thinking about Shatner's performance in "Star trek VI" One of my favorites. Spock tells him that the Klingons were dieing and his response was simply

"Let them die..."

It's so out of tone with many of the Star trek characters that we know and take for granted today. Can anyone imagine Capt. John Luke Picard wishing that an entire species would die?

Shatner was more than a two-dimensional character in that scene. He showed real emotion and a human sense of rancor over the death of his son.

Mr. Nimoy (RIP) was a fantastic director. I just wish that he hadn't left us so soon.